21 Dollar Store Halloween DIYs So Easy It Feels Like Cheating

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1. A Row Of Dollar Store Foam Pumpkins Spray-Painted Matte Black For The Front Steps

Matte paint hides the cheap shiny foam look, and black makes a $1 pumpkin read as pricey from the sidewalk.

Start This Way: Set 5 foam pumpkins on a flattened cardboard box in the yard, give them 2 light coats, and let them dry while you grab coffee.

Here’s A Great Pick: A Matte Black Spray Paint For Plastic sticks to foam and plastic without that sticky, never-dry mess, so the pumpkins are porch-ready in an hour.

2. Cheap Plastic Skulls Painted Cream And Tucked Into A Fall Wreath

Cream paint turns a cartoon plastic skull into something that looks carved from bone, and it blends right into the leaves you already have.

Try This Way: Paint 3 small skulls with one coat of cream craft paint and push them into your fall wreath where the leaves are thickest.

3. A Dollar Store Glass Vase Wrapped In Black Lace With A Candle Glowing Inside

Lace throws tiny shadow patterns on the wall when a candle burns behind it, which is why this looks so much fancier than it is.

Here’s What To Do: Wrap a strip of black lace around a plain vase, tie it in the back, and drop a tea light inside, babe.

4. Budget Halloween Decor With Dollar Store Bats Swirling Up The Hallway Wall

A swarm looks alive when the bats get smaller and farther apart as they climb, like they’re flying away from you.

Use This Simple Trick: Stick about 20 paper bats on the wall starting low and tight, then spread them out and up toward the ceiling.

Here’s A Clever Solution: A Pack Of Removable Poster Putty holds each bat and peels off clean, so the wall looks perfect again on November 1.

5. A Bag Of Fake Spiders Glued Onto A Plain White Lampshade

Spiders on a lit shade cast creepy little shadows inside the room at night, so the lamp does the decorating for you.

Give This A Try: Dab a tiny bit of glue on 8 to 10 spiders and press them onto the shade like they’re crawling toward the top.

Here’s A Helpful Find: A Mini Hot Glue Gun With Glue Sticks sets in seconds and peels right off the shade later, so the lamp goes back to normal after Halloween.

6. Dollar Store Candlesticks Painted Black And Clustered On The Mantel

Odd numbers at 3 different heights are the whole secret to a mantel that looks styled, and black makes mismatched ones look like a set.

Begin With This: Paint 5 candlesticks black, group them on one end of the mantel with the tallest in back, and leave the other end almost empty.

7. A Clear Jar Filled With Dollar Store Candy Corn And A Tiny Pumpkin On Top

Candy in glass gives you orange and yellow stripes for free, and the pumpkin on top stops it from looking like a snack bowl.

Here’s A Quick Way: Fill a clear jar with candy corn, pop the lid on, and set one mini pumpkin on top as the lid’s hat.

8. Simple Dollar Store Halloween Garland Made From Black Paper Bats On String

Garland fills the big empty wall space over the couch that pumpkins never reach, and bats on string sway a little every time someone walks by.

The Easy First Step Is: Tape 12 paper bats to a long piece of black string, spacing them a hand apart, and drape it across the mantel or a doorway, girl.

9. A Dollar Store Picture Frame Spray-Painted Gold With A Spooky Silhouette Inside

Gold frames trick the eye into thinking “fancy,” and a black cutout on cream paper looks like old-timey art from the 1800s.

Consider This: Spray one cheap frame gold, trace a cat or crow on black paper, cut it out, and glue it on cream cardstock inside.

10. Cheap Plastic Cauldron Turned Into A Pretty Planter Full Of Dark Mums

Real flowers in a fake cauldron is the mix that makes people do a double take, because the plastic disappears behind the blooms.

Start Small With This: Set a pot of deep purple or rust mums right inside the cauldron, pot and all, and park it by the front door.

11. A Dollar Store Wooden Sign Painted With Just One Word Like Boo

One big word in a clean font looks like a boutique sign, while 5 words in curly letters looks like a craft fair gone wrong.

One Thing That Helps Is: Paint the sign black, let it dry, then write BOO in big white block letters with one steady hand.

Here’s A Favorite Pick: A White Acrylic Paint Marker gives you crisp letters on the first try, so you skip the shaky brush and the 3 redo coats.

12. Budget-Friendly Halloween Decor With Dollar Store Cheesecloth Ghosts Hanging From The Porch

Cheesecloth catches the breeze and the porch light at the same time, so these look like they’re floating even when they’re just hanging there.

Here’s A Low-Stress Way: Drape a square of cheesecloth over a balloon, spray it with starch, let it stiffen, then pop the balloon and hang the ghost from a hook.

A Great Pick For This: A Fabric Stiffener Spray locks the ghost shape in one coat, which beats the flour-and-water mess that takes all night to dry.

13. A Set Of Dollar Store Mason Jars Painted Orange And White For The Windowsill

Painting the outside and leaving the inside clear lets candlelight glow through the paint like a tiny pumpkin lantern.

The Less Stressful Way Is: Paint 3 jars, 2 orange and one white, with 2 thin coats and line them up on the sill with a tea light in each.

14. Dollar Store Mini Pumpkins Glued Onto A Plain Wreath Form

A wreath packed edge to edge with tiny pumpkins looks like a $60 boutique wreath, and the trick is leaving zero gaps.

If You Want To Keep It Easy: Glue mini pumpkins around a foam wreath form in a tight ring, then fill the little holes with even smaller ones.

15. A Dollar Store Serving Tray Painted Black And Styled With Candles And Gourds

A tray pulls 3 random things into one planned moment, which is the lazy secret behind every styled coffee table on Pinterest.

Instead, Try This: Paint a plain tray black, set 2 candles and a few gourds on it, and leave a little empty space so it can breathe.

16. Cheap Halloween DIY With Dollar Store Fake Crows Perched On The Bookshelf

A crow sitting on a shelf edge looks real because it’s at eye level, right where a bird would actually land.

Here’s The Shortcut Version: Perch 2 fake crows on different shelves, one up high and one low, so it looks like they flew in and got comfy, bestie.

17. A Dollar Store Doormat Stamped With A Spooky Welcome In Black Paint

Thin coir mats soak up paint fast, so stencil letters come out crisp instead of fuzzy like they do on thick rubber mats.

To Make This Feel More Doable: Tape letter stencils onto a plain mat and dab black paint over them with a sponge, then pull the stencils off while the paint is still wet.

Here’s A Simple Solution: A Reusable Letter Stencil Set keeps every letter the same size and spacing, so the mat looks printed instead of hand-done.

18. Dollar Store Tea Lights Dropped Into Painted Baby Food Jars For The Dining Table

Tiny jars scattered down a table give you 8 little glows instead of one big one, and that’s what makes a dinner feel moody.

Here’s A Gentle Way To Start: Paint 8 baby food jars orange or black, drop a tea light in each, and run them down the center of the table in a loose zigzag.

One Worth Trying: A Set Of Flameless Flickering Tea Lights flickers like real fire, so the kids and the cat can bump the table all night and nothing tips over.

19. A Plain Dollar Store Pillow Cover Painted With A Simple White Ghost

A ghost is just a blob with 2 dots for eyes, which is why even a shaky hand gets it right on the first try.

The Most Doable Way Is: Slip cardboard inside the pillow cover so paint doesn’t bleed through, then paint one white blob and 2 black eyes.

Here’s A Good Option: A Fabric Paint Set stays soft after it dries and survives the wash, so the pillow is still cute next October.

20. Thrifty Halloween Decor With Dollar Store Twigs Spray-Painted Black In A Tall Vase

Black branches in a tall vase add height to a room, and height is the thing most tables and dressers are missing.

Here’s A Small Step That Helps: Spray a bundle of fake twigs black, let them dry, and stand them up in your tallest vase on the dresser or entry table.

21. A Dollar Store Plastic Skeleton Hand Reaching Out Of A Potted Plant

A hand coming out of dirt is funnier and scarier than a whole skeleton, because the brain fills in the rest.

Here’s A Simpler First Move: Push a plastic skeleton hand into the soil of a plant you already own so only the fingers and wrist stick out.

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